The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves: 200 Classic and Contemporary Recipes Showcasing the Fabulous Flavors of Fresh Fruits (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Homemade preserves are the perfect way to enjoy a favorite fruit all year long. They're also inexpensive and, in this book, are made without commercial pectin or other artificial ingredients. For novices, a thorough guide to equipment, techniques, and safety is followed by essential recipes such as Raspberry Jam, Apple Butter, and Concord Grape Jelly. More experienced preservers will be delighted at innovative offerings including Blackberry Vinegar, Red Grapefruit Marmalade, and Brandied Peaches with Vanilla.

About the Author

Linda Ziedrich is a freelance writer and editor and the author of The Joy of Pickling, now in its second edition. She lives with her husband and youngest child near Scio, Oregon, where she grows many of the fruits and vegetables she pickles, preserves, and otherwise prepares.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Common Press (April 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558324054
• ISBN-13: 978-1558324053
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (86 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #432,968 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I loved the Book - Beginners might not, July 25, 2009

By	Bobbie - "Andromeda's Gramma" (United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves: 200 Classic and Contemporary Recipes Showcasing the Fabulous Flavors of Fresh Fruits (Paperback)

(What's this?)

I am giving this cookbook 5 stars for originality and information, and only 3 stars for ease of use.

If you are a beginner, I recommend Ball Blue Canning Book #21400 for your first tries. While these recipes require pectin, they do not require the more extensive methods required in this book, and the information is a little less intimidating. Most of my first tries came from this book.

If you have a little experience under your belt, this is an AWESOME book.

It begins with the history of canning and preserving and a great deal of information on why it all works. This information is expanded at the beginning of the chapter on each fruit. That information is necessary, since all of these recipes are designed to avoid the use of pectin except what is naturally occurring in the fruit. As a result, most of the recipes require additional steps to ensure success.

Ms. Ziedrich is an experienced cook and incorporates many advanced techniques and equipment that the "newbie" probably does not have in his or her kitchen, including a food mill and steam juicer, however, she offers simple alternatives that you can use instead.

While the title calls this book "sweet preserves," there are a number of vegetables included: carrots, pumpkin & winter squash, and even a method for preserving zucchini. It also includes items you won't find in normal preservation books - I didn't even know bananas, kumquats, or cantaloupe COULD be canned! The recipe for Coconut Caramel Jam starts with instructions on opening a coconut!

AND this is not simply a "canning" recipe book. It includes recipes for fruit leather (you need a dehydrator for these), cherry flavored brandy, methods for preserving nuts, and many other original ideas.

Our county fair just ended (I got 3 blue ribbons this year), but I have found several recipes here that I WILL be using in next year's fair! I am grateful that I had the chance to try this through the Amazon Vine program, and I have a couple of friends I will be buying this for come Christmas.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for Beginners, and TONS of recipes!, July 21, 2009

By	Laura I (Fairchild AFB, WA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves: 200 Classic and Contemporary Recipes Showcasing the Fabulous Flavors of Fresh Fruits (Paperback)

(What's this?)

I've been interested in making my own jellies for awhile now, but have stayed away because of some of the intimidating recipes I've seen. By "intimidating", I'm referring to recipes that call for packaged pectin, citric acid, and gelatin. Those ingredients may not be intimidating for everyone, but for a novice like me, it was enough of a deterrent. Luckily, none of the recipes in this book call for any of those ingredients. It's mostly just fruit and sugar, sometimes lemon juice. Well, I can certainly handle simple recipes like those!

I was also excited by the sheer size of the book, it has 200 recipes and covers everything from grape jelly to rose hip butter. Just about anything you could imagine, from the everyday to the unusual is included in this book.

You could also use honey or agave nectar instead of processed sugar in the recipes if you want. I think it's healthier to make your own jams, instead of buying the overly processed stuff in the grocery store chock full of preservatives. Not to mention, it makes a wonderful gift, to give a friend jam made out of the rhubarb you picked from your garden, don't you think?

Over all, I'm loving this book, and I can't wait to try all of the recipes!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wide variety of sweet preserves, August 3, 2009

By	kdea473 - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves: 200 Classic and Contemporary Recipes Showcasing the Fabulous Flavors of Fresh Fruits (Paperback)

(What's this?)

Growing up, my experience with any sort of "preserving" was our annual mid-summer day dedicated to "put up" corn. As an adult, I continue that (having done so just this past week). My small garden is also overwhelmed with tomatoes and cucumbers (thanks to overly-abundant rainfall this summer).

I picked up this book hoping to expand my knowledge of preserving the "sweet" things I grow (mainly peaches and apples). There are a few peach and apple recipes (including apple butter, one of my favorites), but also a whole lot more I wasn't expecting. The majority of the book is filled with recipes for fruits that are not grown in my area, and certainly are not readily accessible at our local groceries or farmer's markets. (And I'm really only looking to preserve that which I have grown in my garden or gotten from neighbors or friends.)

My favorite part of the book was the author's great introduction to the history and science of canning. As someone with little background in that area, I enjoyed learning more about that aspect. The author mentions that she doesn't use pectin in any of her recipes, which I found interesting. After talking with an elderly neighbor who does extensive canning of her own (and has since she was a child helping her mother), she recommended that I also pick up the Ball Blue Book, which she considers the authority.